Can’t run as fast as you’d like? Or jump as high as you want to? Are you throwing (a baseball, football, javelin, or even shooting a basketball) far enough?
If not, there’s a good chance you’re “gluteless.”
What do I mean by this? Simply: your glutes are the largest and most powerful set of muscles in your body. They are designed precisely to help us run, jump and throw. And, yes, I mean throw. Sure arm, shoulder, back and core strength are essential for a powerful throw. But without legs you got squat! Actually, without strong legs you can’t squat either (but that’s a story for a different time). And what’s the most important part of getting powerful legs? You guessed it: glutes! No other muscle group has as much impact on your athletic performance.
“Pretty much all sports and every type of activity are predicated on appropriate glute function,” says Dr. Joel Seedman, an exercise physiologist and owner of AdvancedHumanPerformance.com
“For example, the No. 1 muscle in sprinting is the glutes. If they’re not firing like they should, it’s not only going to put the athlete at a greater potential for injury, but it’s really going to compromise their speed.”
“The glutes and also the hamstrings are critical for maintaining optimal balance between the front and back of the leg,” Seedman says. “If you have an imbalance from glute inactivity, it’s inevitably goi ng to result in some type of knee pain.”
So, how do you know if you’re “gluteless?” Check out the following self-tests from Seedman:
How to Check if Your Glutes are Firing Properly
1. Do you have knee pain? Chronic knee pain is the first sign of glute inactivity. If your knees consistently hurt—especially when you are playing a sport or working out—your glutes are probably the
issue.
2. Do you have lower-back pain? Lower-back pain is another sign that your glutes aren’t working properly. Typically, these muscles compensate for inactive glutes, causing overuse and pain. However, even if you don’t have lower -back pain, you might have glute issues.
3. Do you sit a lot? Most of us sit way too much. It’s a product of modern society. Sitting causes the muscles on the front of your body to tighten, creating anterior pelvic tilt. Too much anterior pelvic tilt and your glutes can no longer properly fire.
4. Can you hold a Single -Leg Stand? Do a Single-Leg Stand with your eyes closed and your feet facing forward. If you can’t hold this position for at least 1 minute —and especially if you fall forward and toward the middle—your glutes aren’t working properly. Test each side a few times and compare your average times to see if one side is working better than the other.
You can also ask yourself if you are running, jumping and throwing as well as you’d like. If not, chances are you’re “gluteless.”
Strengthening your glutes is probably the single most important thing you can do to become more competitive, more powerful, prevent injuries, and reduce existing knee and lower back pain.
At AllSports Pro Fitness, we know the importance of glutes and we know how to fix them. Give us a call (630.620.7277), send us an email (sales@allsportsprofitness.com) or register online (www.allsportsprofitness.com). Don’t be ‘gluteless!”
Programming Plyometrics and Speed Training into Your Program
There are many facilities that produce speed training as a product or a service. This is a great tool for any athlete, I mean who doesn’t want to become fast? While that is true and also a necessity as an athlete, you have to realize how to get there. While speed training is very important because you need to learn proper sprinting mechanics, proper starting and the ability to work on stride rate and length. With that all said the truth is you need to work on your plyometric training in order to become that fast athlete. Athletes who typically just do speed camps or speed training fail in these areas below.
These factors listed above allow athletes to become that fast and powerful athlete. Question is how do I get good at all those. Well you need to do plyometric training prior to your speed training. This is for 3 main reasons.
Now if we take speed training and just do that alone you will not teach your body how to become efficient with power. There is a great correlation between athletes who are extremely fast and athletes who can jump high. This is because when you jump train properly you teach the body how to become powerful through your ankles, knees and hips. In turn a great sprinter knows how to efficiently put or transfer the power in the ankle knees and hips to the ground. Without the ability to load in that area you will never become faster. You might be fast, but to become faster you have to learn how to load and unload power. With plyometric training that is possible. The whole goal is power production and teaching the body how to load power and unload power.
While jump training is a huge part of the programming at AllSports, there is more to training than just jump training. Athletes in general lack a good assessment. A good assessment will allow you to focus on your weakness to compliment your strength. In the list above flexibility is a big concern for most athletes. Having a lack of flexibility can be detrimental to an athlete because of injury and also the ability to teach the body proper movement. At AllSports we take pride in working athletes through a specific order with plyometrics being in the top three of our concern. Below is how we like to program our daily classes for athletes.
8 Main Factors of Sports Performance
These 8 factors are the cornerstone of the programming. Implementing these into your program will not only allow you to become a better overall athlete, but become faster and more powerful. The goal of any athlete is or should be to become the most explosive player on the field of play with the ability to use or sustain that over a long period of time. Putting some plyometric training or jump training in your program will take you to the next level as an athlete.
Deceleration: The Missing Link in Sports Performance Training
How often have you heard the need for speed for athletic performance? Every coach and athlete wants or needs more speed. While speed is an x factor in many of the sports we train, learning to cut and maneuver effectively is more important. While acceleration is a key component to every sport especially in the first 10 yards, it has to be trained. To become a complete athlete and make a big impact one needs to train the opposite of that which is deceleration. Deceleration is the ability to decrease velocity or to slow down force production. Teaching athletes to decelerate properly is not only important for sport but more importantly for injury prevention. Teaching proper angles and breaking is more effective than teaching to run in a straight line, considering most sports a continuous straight line is not often seen past the 10 yard mark. With over 200,00 ACL tears a year, not to mention MCL and LCL injuries do to rapid or improper deceleration techniques, this technique needs to be taught and learned.
There are 3 main ways we move as an athlete:
For the consideration of strength training we can work on eccentric strength by focusing on the tempo of the movement. Tempo is a very rarely trained aspect in most programming because of many factors. The main factor is time. Athletes have a tendency to want to get in and out of the weight room. Training the eccentric portion of the lift is just as important as the concentric part. To train tempo you can start by adding that into your programming in the main accessory lifts. We tend to have a big emphasis on the first phases of the program to make sure the athletes understand the movement and make them aware of what muscles are working and being affected. Our general tempo is a 3 second eccentric followed by a 1 second pause and then move the weight thought the concentric phase.
For the deceleration portion of the work on the field we look at COD (change of direction) and learning to stabilize and move with proper angels that will not only make the athlete transition better but also do it in a safe manor decrease the chances of a knee injury. When we deal with athletes we have a few ways of deceleration techniques. The first major way is watching them naturally in a controlled manor. We wont have them decelerate in a full speed movement until we feel they are ready. A lot of our work begins on the ladder with icky shuffles and watching their ankle, knee and hip alignment. We want to see that ankle, knee and hip in full alignment and ready to push off. If we see something off with the knee alignment we then go ahead and fix it with other drills. When we get to the cutting or COD part of our sessions we start off with something that forces them to stop linearly or straight ahead.
We will put a ladder 10 yards in front of them and ask the athletes to run not the left of the ladder at about 75%, come to a complete stop and go into icky shuffles and then sprint out of the ladder. This ability to watch an athlete at a controlled speed and no angle is beneficial to fixing any alignment issues they may have.
When the movement has some good sound mechanics we move on to creating a drill that starts off laterally and moves to linear. This drill does the opposite as the above works on the lateral component first then the linear movement.
We will do lateral mini hurdles with a pause on the end leaving the inside leg up in and the outside leg stabilized on the ground. This allows us to see their ability to decelerate laterally. Deceleration laterally is more of a concern for injury prevention than linear breaking because the potential angles that could be caused on the knee. Once an athlete can manage to do these drills with proper alignment we then will go into a 3rd phase of deceleration, which introduces cutting and movement.
Training deceleration will not only help prevent major knee injuries but also will help the athlete learn to cut, move and change direction without losing speed. This ability will make him/her a step above their competition.
3 Things Athletes can do Right now to Increase Performance
There are many things athletes can do to help themselves other than what seems to be obvious. Athletes are expected to be at practice, train hard in the off-season and be prepared for their sport. There are a few key hidden factors that an athlete can do that may help the previously mentioned things above. What is not talked about is:
Immediate goals would be something on a weekly basis. Whether a to do list or a weekly check off list. These goals are great to have a sense of accomplishment and will help a student athlete get more things done. Things on this list should be homework, weekly workouts, chores and anything else that is of immediate concern. Short-term goals can range from 3-6 months. These goals should be long projects for school, applications to school, weightlifting goals, nutrition goals, school choices, big exams coming up and other things that are in the near future. Long-term goals are generally 6 months and out. These goals might have bigger picture thoughts. Making the team, getting into a certain school, being prepared for next season. These goals allow the athlete to realize there is a big picture and that you should prepare for that future the best you can.
Goals, proper nutrition and adequate sleep should all be part of a complete athletes regimen. These 3 things can be vital to an athlete’s performance and are very simple to implement right away.
The Importance of Screening Athletes
There are many ways to train athletes and prepare them for sport. However, before we start looking at program design, power, speed and agility, we must look at the evaluation process. AllSports is one of a few gyms that incorporate a 3-prong evaluation per athlete. The evaluation has 3 steps in the process of its evaluation; 1st a Par Q questionnaire, 2nd an FMS screen and 3rd an athletic profile.
The Par Q questionnaire is a simple yet affective form that evaluates the athlete’s medical background. This information will help us look at any internal issues you as an athlete may have. Some things that we are concerned about when reviewing your Par Q are asthma, recent surgeries, any type of medical conditions dealing with joints, and other symptoms that might be an issue during training. If there are any concerns we will make sure to ask your parents and/or doctor if you’re ok to exercise.
The FMS screen is a battery of tests designed to evaluate the athlete’s body awareness, mobility, flexibility and strength. This test uses a battery of 7 movements that will help us recognize movement patterns that need to be fixed. Why is this important? Well we want to design our programs so that your weakness that you may have whether its balance, flexibility, mobility or strength become something of value to you. Based off the FMS screen we can look at your results and create a fix for those problem areas. It is also important that we can see if there are any issues that might lead to injuries. For instance, when doing a test called the inline lunge we can see if there are some issues with your knee and its movement pattern. This is important especially for our female athletes to correct so we don’t have an acl tear.
The final phase in our testing is the Athletic Profile. This profile uses a battery of tests that evaluates their physical abilities. We use 5 major movements that test your power, strength, speed, agility and core. These tests include 10-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, D2 and the Fit Light. Again we want to have some base numbers so as your strength and conditioning coaches can write your program based on your needs not strengths.
The three-prong evaluation for AllSports is very unique and beneficial to the athletes new and returning. We believe that an athlete needs to work on their weakness and turn them into strength. Whether it’s an issue with balance, strength, power or flexibility we will design a program based around getting you better. The 3 phases of the evaluation will not only assure that your able to handle the class in a safe manor because of the Par Q but also will help us recognize what areas we can work on with you to bring you to your full potential. AllSports is one of the few facilities that offer this type of screening.
5 Things an Athlete can Do Right Now to Become Faster
Every athlete wants to become faster and quicker. At AllSports we understand that the athlete needs to have a quicker first step, a more explosive 10-yard dash and better finishing speed. In this article you will learn what 5 things you can implement today to increase your speed and increase your power to become faster!
These 5 quick tips will help any athlete looking to gain power, speed and quickness. Don’t hesitate to call AllSports with any questions on how to further your athletic ability. These drills above are a staple in our base programming and as helped thousands of athletes become faster and stronger.
What to Look for in a Sports Performance Coach
There are many facilities that offer strength and conditioning, sports performance, jump camps and other avenues of youth training. While the economy has gone down the last few years, people have a harder time affording some extra things for their children. While sports performance training is a luxury to have for your child, it is a valuable investment if brought to the right facility. With anything you do, you get what you invest in. There are many features that you should be looking at when deciding which facility or program you send your child too. Here is a short list of things that really matter.
At AllSports we take pride in providing the best coaching staff in the country, the best programs because they revolve around each individual athlete and the atmosphere is second to none. We understand the investment your making in us and in turn we will invest in you and your child. We are here to create the best program for each athlete that comes through based on their goals, their assessment and the commitment they are willing to make. When the athletes come into the facility and gives us those previously mentioned things they will have no problem executing their goals and becoming the athlete they should be.
By: Brad Leshinske MS, CSCS Program Director
High School Athletes – How Strong Should You Be?
We all know it takes a lot to be a significant contributor on your high school varsity team. Even more so for those athletes who dream of playing in college. Sport-specific training to learn skills and strategy are critical. That’s one reason for the tremendous growth in club and travel teams that play virtually year round.
But look closely at the kids who are the go-to players in high school; the ones that are getting looks from college coaches. You’ll notice a couple of things. First, they’re often different than the kids that were the stars at younger ages and second, they tend to be more powerful athletes. In elementary and middle school the stars were often a bit older or those that mature earlier. That is, they are stronger and quicker.
The varsity players in high school, and those getting a serious look from college coaches, are also stronger and quicker. A “good” basketball player will attempt a layup, get fouled and make 2 (or 1 or zero) free throws. A “star” basketball player will be strong enough to fight off the defender(s), make the layup and the free throw! Do that 3 or 4 times per game and the wins begin to pile up! That same phenomenon is true of any athlete playing any position in any sport.
So, how strong do you have to be? Many athletes can’t answer this question. They have no idea whether they’re strong or if they need serious improvement. They can only compare themselves to other people lifting next to them, which—let’s just say is not all that reliable.
Simply put, stronger athletes are more effective athletes. You need to have consistent strength across your entire body. This serves as the foundation for nearly every athletic movement—sprinting, jumping, battling with an opponent and performing your skills.
But the million-dollar question is, how much weight should you be able to lift on the Bench Press—or any exercise for that matter? If you lack strength in one or more lifts, you probably have a strength deficiency that effects how you play on the field. For example, if your core is weak, an opponent can more easily knock you out of position. Or if your legs are weak, you won’t have the strength and power you need to quickly accelerate off the line.
That’s why it’s important to test your strength with exercises such as Squats and Deadlifts, to ensure that your strength measures up across the board.
Mark Roozen, owner of Coach Rozy Performance, who frequently travels to China to work with Chinese national teams, provides general recommendations for how much a high school junior or senior athlete should be able to lift.
Before we get to the numbers though, consider the following:
• The minimum strength number is the absolute least amount of weight or reps you should be able to perform on a lift. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, even beyond the elite level.
• If you’re a young, developing athlete, don’t be intimidated by these numbers. Squatting twice your body weight might seem impossible at this point, but over time you will build the strength you need to crush these tests.
• It’s OK if you fail a test. That identifies an opportunity for improvement. Problems arise only if a strength issue goes unaddressed.
• Form and technique is important. Sometimes you can just muscle the weight up and down, compensating for strength and mobility issues. If your technique breaks down, lower the weight and try again without sacrificing form.
• And yes, there is a difference between males and females. According to ExRx.net, after puberty, a female’s upper-body strength averages about 55 percent of a male’s, and her lower-body strength averages about 72 percent (testosterone is an amazing thing!). However, females are slower to fatigue at high intensities and can actually a higher percentage of their one-repetition maximum more times than their male counterparts (so there!)!
Alright, let’s get to the numbers:
Strength Guidelines for High School Athletes
1. Back Squat
The Test: One-Rep Max Test
Minimum: Males and Females – 1x your body weight
Elite: Males – 2x your body weight, Females – 1.5x your body weight
2. Deadlift
The Test: One-Rep Max Test
Minimum: Males and Females: 1.5x your body weight
Elite: Males – 2.5x your body weight, Females – 1.75x your body weight
3. Bench Press
The Test: One-Rep Max Test
Minimum: Males and females: 1x your body weight
Elite: Males – 1.5x your body weight, Females – 1x your body weight
4. Pull-Ups
The Test: Max Pull-Ups
Minimum: Males – 10, Females – 5
Elite: Males – 20, Females – 10
5. Push-Ups
The Test: Max Push-Ups in 60 seconds
Minimum: Males – 20, Females – 10
Elite: Males – 50, Females – 30
6. Farmer’s Walks
The Test: Farmer’s Walk with Dumbbells for 10 Yards
Minimum: Males – 80% of your body weight, Females – 40% of your body weight
Elite: Males – 100% of your body weight, Females – 50% of your body weight
Are You Gluteless?
Can’t run as fast as you’d like? Or jump as high as you want to? Are you throwing (a baseball, football, javelin, or even shooting a basketball) far enough?
If not, there’s a good chance you’re “gluteless.”
What do I mean by this? Simply: your glutes are the largest and most powerful set of muscles in your body. They are designed precisely to help us run, jump and throw. And, yes, I mean throw. Sure arm, shoulder, back and core strength are essential for a powerful throw. But without legs you got squat! Actually, without strong legs you can’t squat either (but that’s a story for a different time). And what’s the most important part of getting powerful legs? You guessed it: glutes! No other muscle group has as much impact on your athletic performance.
“Pretty much all sports and every type of activity are predicated on appropriate glute function,” says Dr. Joel Seedman, an exercise physiologist and owner of AdvancedHumanPerformance.com
“For example, the No. 1 muscle in sprinting is the glutes. If they’re not firing like they should, it’s not only going to put the athlete at a greater potential for injury, but it’s really going to compromise their speed.”
“The glutes and also the hamstrings are critical for maintaining optimal balance between the front and back of the leg,” Seedman says. “If you have an imbalance from glute inactivity, it’s inevitably goi ng to result in some type of knee pain.”
So, how do you know if you’re “gluteless?” Check out the following self-tests from Seedman:
How to Check if Your Glutes are Firing Properly
1. Do you have knee pain? Chronic knee pain is the first sign of glute inactivity. If your knees consistently hurt—especially when you are playing a sport or working out—your glutes are probably the
issue.
2. Do you have lower-back pain? Lower-back pain is another sign that your glutes aren’t working properly. Typically, these muscles compensate for inactive glutes, causing overuse and pain. However, even if you don’t have lower -back pain, you might have glute issues.
3. Do you sit a lot? Most of us sit way too much. It’s a product of modern society. Sitting causes the muscles on the front of your body to tighten, creating anterior pelvic tilt. Too much anterior pelvic tilt and your glutes can no longer properly fire.
4. Can you hold a Single -Leg Stand? Do a Single-Leg Stand with your eyes closed and your feet facing forward. If you can’t hold this position for at least 1 minute —and especially if you fall forward and toward the middle—your glutes aren’t working properly. Test each side a few times and compare your average times to see if one side is working better than the other.
You can also ask yourself if you are running, jumping and throwing as well as you’d like. If not, chances are you’re “gluteless.”
Strengthening your glutes is probably the single most important thing you can do to become more competitive, more powerful, prevent injuries, and reduce existing knee and lower back pain.
At AllSports Pro Fitness, we know the importance of glutes and we know how to fix them. Give us a call (630.620.7277), send us an email (sales@allsportsprofitness.com) or register online (www.allsportsprofitness.com). Don’t be ‘gluteless!”
FAQ
Training at AllSports Pro Fitness is totally evidence-based and consistent. As a Client you’re knowledgeable about your training before you even start and your Programs are customized for you ahead of time, even before you first Daily Workout (DW).
Formal fitness research has ramped up and produced significant findings over the past few years. Prior to current research, industry ‘facts’ or assumptions were subjective and often the result of speculation, or ‘bro science’. Now, there is specialized training through collected data. We often modify due to our collection of data.
Yes. Quickness is your initial response/reaction. It may be your first step, hand movement, jump or torso twist. Speed, on the other-hand, is the max velocity you attain when running a straight line.
Yes. Power is a measure of force and velocity. While Strength is a force that measures how much weight you can move. An example of Power would be moving a heavy object really fast.
Injuries come from contact or sudden movement/imbalances in the body. Our training philosophy minimizes imbalances or weaknesses in the body by strengthening the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones.
To be a successful athlete you need good skills. Through sport training everyone has a chance to acquire skills and develop these capabilities. A differentiating dimension of top level athletes is how powerfully you can execute these skills. This is realized through a foundation of Strength.
Strength is the basis for all other fitness training based on the value it adds to your bones and connective tissues = GRF, or Ground Reactive Forces. GRF is what allows you to push off from the ground, not a function of moving your legs any faster.
At AllSports Pro Fitness we don’t rely on personal training, or random trainer led fitness workouts. Rather, we offer consistent and predictable Programs that focus on foundational strength, maximal strength which then turns into athletic power and muscular endurance which are key to excelling at your sport.
Our AllSports Programs are well documented and researched based. We engaged credentialed and published industry experts to help develop our Programs. Most often this consistency and proper implementation of programs cannot be achieved by personal trainers based solely on their experiences and certifications. Our AllSports Programs allow athletes to optimize their performance because they are built around specific sports/positions.
Until now they didn’t exist and that’s what makes our Programs exciting.
Research indicates that the optimum and appropriate age for fitness training is when you can follow instructions. This is typically around the age of 7 years old. We target ages 10-18 years old and beyond because this group of athletes doesn’t have access to this type of customized fitness training.
The most effective way to train for everyone, other than those with significant resistance training experience, is whole body training 3X’s per week. Alternating upper/lower body sessions is only appropriate when you’re training 4 or more times per week providing you can get the proper rest between exercises (upper on M/Th, lower on T/F). Generally this is too intense for most of our target clients.
When the athlete is in-season, the more AllSports training you do the more successful you’ll be in your sport. It’s up to you to balance skills training and athletic fitness training.
Yes. We can develop programs for any sport.
All training sessions are supervised by our certified trainers. There is more one-on-one attention in the early phases of your Program as well as during transitions between exercises. AllSports Pro Fitness offers you a group atmosphere while you navigate your own customized Program.
No. We feel that school and travel coaches are far better equipped to teach sport skills.
The track is chosen during the consultation with your trainer. This usually happens after your Free Evaluation. The Track is chosen based on objective, experience and age.
We provide resistance training based on physical maturity formatted by a double progressive overload approach.
Yes. During the initial Free Evaluation assessment we calculate “age equivalency” in order to choose the right Program and Track for each athlete.
No. Generally training is based exclusively on age equivalency and sport position.
Our research is all about sport specific movements. Our routines or Programs are all evidence based. Speed and power are built into the programs instead of relying on a personal trainer.
Agility ladders primarily focus on COD (Change of Direction). Rarely do athletic fitness programs train for true agility because until recently the training didn’t exist. At AllSports Pro Fitness we’ve incorporated the new and innovation technology of the Fit Lite into all of our Programs. The Fit Lite relies on completely random external stimuli to develop and hone real spontaneous agility – just like in most live sports action.
Exercises are based on Program/Track which is linked to our philosophy. We then choose the best exercises which enhance the client’s objectives.
During the Free Evaluation assessment, we calculate the 1RM (1 rep max) an athlete can perform on a certain exercise. An example would be squat and bench press. The customized training Program uses different 1RM percentages throughout the DW’s. We start off with lower percentages and increase according to the athlete’s physical ability.
Reps and sets are determined by the objective for training and where the athlete is in the process. Generally, training progresses from high reps/low loads to low reps/high loads.
Yes. Our methods track results and every client has access to their own dashboard. This dashboard tracks their progress. You can find this online and it is password protected.
We do assessments periodically that enable the client and trainer to determine progress.
This varies with each client. Generally, highly trained athletes will have modest improvements where untrained athletes
Our facility is large, spacious, lighted, heated and cooled. You will not see a lot of machines. We don’t cater to self-directed training. Evidence shows free weights and body weight exercises best develop athletes.
We have a variety. This will continue to evolve. See website for list.
Yes. Parents are invited for a tour of the facility. We are all about safety and ask that parents be respectful of all clients.
It depends on the needs of the clients. Less experienced athletes will have more 1 on 1 training. More experienced athletes will primarily be on their own. Our trainers are always on the floor assisting clients and making sure everyone is performing their exercises properly and safely.
All trainers are certified and usually have more than one certification. Our trainers “teach” and appreciate our philosophy. They work well with our athletes and are highly motivating.
No problem.
Yes
They don’t…………they provide excellent guidance on proper technique, rationale of programs, and are qualified to adjust training on the fly.
No. You pay by program. We have a variety of programs and each one has a certain number of sessions.
The cost varies depending on what program is chosen. Our prices range from $260-$700.
Yes. We offer discounts in certain situations. Examples would be for teams and/or groups.
No. Our client have specific goals, objectives, and programs. Significant improvements can’t be gained through a random approach.
Team training is not much different than individual training. Everyone is doing the same routines for sport but the load and progression is customized for each athlete.
Just Lombard right now. Other locations coming soon.
We are open on Saturdays but not on Sundays.
It depends on program. In-season athletes 1x/week, high intensity athletes 4x/week but mostly clients need to come 3x/week.
We offer a free evaluation so you can determine if it’s right for you. “Are you serious about improving in your sport? We’re serious about training you!”
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